Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-25
DAILY HERALD.
WATERY MILK.
What We Buy From the
Milkmen.
SPURIOUS LACTEAL FLUID.
Mortality Among Infants Largely
Ascribed to their Weak
ened Food.

eltu FOous
A great deal has been said in rela-
tion to the adulteration OF food, but
when it is taken into consideration
that every person is obliged to suffer
from the deception of the grocer, the
baker, the restaurant keeper and the
druggist, it is not matter of wonder
that so much has been said, but rather
a matter of surprise that more indig-
nation has not been expressed through
the columns Of the press. With a
view of bettering the condition of the
unenlightened multitude, represen-
tative of the HERALD started out on a
tour of investigation last week and
discovered that Los Angeles is not ia
vored with provisions less free from
adulterations than any other cities in
the United States. Generally the first
search for adulteration is made in the
grocery line, but in this instance the
searcher for information turned his at
tention to the milk, which in warm
country is quite a beverage when
properly iced. A careful search
Of the places where milk
is served failed to reveal one single
instance where it was possible to OBJ
tain the pure and unadulterated arti-
Gle. 1t is true that the adulterations
we're mostly OF harmless watery ma
ture, but this made them none the less
annoying, for, as a general rule, par
ties investing capital desire fair return
for their money. They do not care to
pay the price OF a glass ofmilk for three
parts water and one pait milk, nor do
they care to order berries and cream
and receive in return very poor, weak
milk. And yet there is not a restaur-
ant in the city where the pure unadul-
terated article can be obtained. 1t is
not so long ago since a restaurant was
started, and for about week a point
was make in furnishing good cream
and milk. This attracted custom and
since then the real article has grad
ually disappeared, until at the present
time the lacteal fluid is no better than
can be obtained elsewhere. 1t is safe
to state that the milk served in this
city undergoes two weakening periods,
once in the hands of the dairyman
and again at the restaurant.
No true milkman was ever
known to allow the product of his
cows to go forth without the addition
of one part in three of water. The
milkman who puts but two quarts of
water in a three gallon can of milk
serves extraordinarily good milk, and
by the addition OF little burnt sugar
or other coloring matter, the fluid can
be further reduced, with little fear of
detection. Said one milkman to the
reporter: "When / started in the
business l had twenty-five fresh cows,
and intended to serve nothing but
pure fresh milk. l served pure milk
for time, and then my customers be-
gan to quit, so l visited them to see
what the matter was. One lady told
me that she didn't like the milk be-
cause the scum that rose on it after
standing all night, or for few hours,
was too thick. Another lady told me
that she knew put something in the
milk to make the cream so thick and
yellow. After hearing these COM
plants and others, l came to the con-
clusion that the people did not want
pure milk; so | started in to add two
quarts of water to each three gallon
can of milk, and since then all
my customers seem to be well salts
fled and have recommended my milk
to 30 many OF their friends that l had
to increase my cows by nearly 30 in a
very short time. l can afford to sell
two quarts Of water in every three gal
Ions Of milk if the people want it,"
Under these circumstances the re-
porter could not blame the milk vendor
for his adulterations, but there are
people who know good milk when
they see it, and they cannot obtain it.
One restaurant in the city at least
ought to make speciality of furnish
ing good cream and milk.
Taken in another sense the practice
of lowering the nutritive quality of
milk is very dangerous. Its direct eff
feet is largely upon infants and small
and it is the opinion of the
ablest medical observers of the day,
that about one-half of the infant NOR
tality in the cities is due to sophisti-
Gated milk. Professor Wiley, of the
Department of Agriculture, asserts
that it is doubtful if 10 per cent of the
milk that is purchased as "pure cows
milk from the dairies for infants is what
it purports to be, and if this be the case
then what long list of murders could
be made chargeable to the milkmen
who like everyone else are bent in OBJ
tanning the largest amount of money
possible for the smallest value re-
turned.
Another product of the dairy which
rs very largely adulterated is the but
ter, which to a major portion of the
Is a very necessary article
Of food. A visit to the markets and
groceries here, however, reveals the
fact that very little adulteration is
done. The market is not large enough
yet to warrant extensive adulteration
as is frequently the case in other
cities. In butter the chief adultera-
tions met with are fat from pork.
known as neutral lard, and
cottonseed oil. While the butter met
with here is not largely adulterated.
the same cannot be said of
the cheese a quantity of
vvhseb 10 hro,,obt 70 tL: